


Broken Promises

by orphan_account



Category: USWNT - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-02
Updated: 2014-07-24
Packaged: 2018-01-10 20:47:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 9,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1164355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This obviously isn't very long :/<br/>But the next chapter will be jam-packed with information and drama!</p>
        </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Don’t forget about me.”   
“How could I?”  
Alex looked up at Tobin with sad eyes.  
“Just promise me you won’t.” the girl urged.  
Tobin smiled softly.  
“Alexandra Patricia Morgan, I promise I won’t forget you.” Tobin smiled.  
Alex shook her head as a tear rolled down her cheek.  
“I’m going to miss you.” Alex whispered.  
Tobin held Alex closely to her body.  
“I’ll miss you, too, Lex.” Tobin replied.  
**12 years later**  
“Baby Horse! C’mon, we’re gonna be late!”   
Alex quickly grabbed tied a bow on her cleat and stood up, sliding her pink pre-wrap onto her head and jogging out of the locker room behind Sydney Leroux, one of her teammates.  
“You excited?” Sydney asked as they ran out to join their teammates on the field.  
“For what?” Alex asked.  
Sydney looked at her fellow forward.  
“Tom’s bringing a newbie today.” Syd replied.  
Alex slowed from her jog and lifted her left leg to stretch her quad.  
“I totally forgot about that.” The brunette frowned.  
Sydney shook her head and Abby jogged over to them.  
“I heard the newbie is a middy.” Abby shared.  
Alex nodded in interest- their team needed midfielders.  
“How good is she?” Alex asked.  
Kristie, who had joined them, too, spoke up.  
“I dunno, but apparently she wasn’t on the youth teams because she was playing for another country. Tom barely caught her in time before she got bound officially with them.” Kristie noted.  
Alex nodded.  
“Ladies, start your passing while you wait for Tom!” Dawn announced.  
Alex grabbed a ball and started running out onto the field with Sydney and Abby behind her, rolling the ball back with her heel and running off for a new pass.  
The drill continued for a few minutes until Alex noticed Tom walking out of the locker room tunnel with someone. The girl was wearing a U.S. Soccer parka and training pants, with a pair of Nike Vapors. Her hood was pulled up and she was looking down at Tom’s iPad of play information.   
“Ladies, please gather around!” Tom called.  
Alex stopped the ball that was passed to her and everyone jogged to the bench area, where Tom was standing, the girl beside him, still looking at the iPad. After a second or two, the girl locked the screen and looked up, causing Alex to freeze.  
The girl had light brown eyes and perfectly tanned skin, her mouth twisted into a bright grin. All of it was too familiar.  
“Ladies, I’d like you to meet our new middy, Tobin Heath.”  
Alex’s jaw dropped in disbelief.  
“Tobin, go ahead and tell us about yourself.” Tom said, looking to the girl.  
Tobin smiled and nodded, thanking Tom for the introduction.  
“Well, uh, you know my name is Tobin.” The girl started.  
Alex noticed an accent in her voice that sounded almost European.  
“I, uh, grew up in California and moved to France when I was ten ‘cause my mom was getting homesick. I played on the French national teams growing up, and that’s pretty much all.”   
Tom nodded.  
“You speak French?” Sydney asked.  
“She lived there, Syd!” Lauren exclaimed.  
Sydney shook her head.  
“Ahaha, yeah.” Tobin laughed.  
Sydney nodded in approval.  
“Morgan! You’re gonna be Tobin’s guide this camp.” Tom called.  
Tobin looked up and her eyes met Alex’s. The forward’s heart beat a little faster as she flashed Tobin a smile and gave a small wave. The girl nodded her head in response and Tom pushed her in the direction of Alex.  
“How have you been?” Alex asked.  
Tobin thought for a while.  
“Good.” Tobin replied.  
Alex nodded and the team broke up to continue passing.  
“It’s been a while.” Alex pointed out.  
Tobin cocked an eyebrow in confusion.  
“Oh, have I played you before?” Tobin asked.  
Alex shook her head slowly, frowning as she remembered the last conversation she’d had with Tobin.  
Tobin had broken her promise.


	2. Chapter 2

The entire practice, Alex fought to keep herself from running into Tobin’s arms as she laughed and joked with Lauren and Boxxy. Nothing about her had changed- her smile, her laugh, her skill. She found Alex easily during their scrimmage and high-fived her happily when the forward scored, but aside from that, she showed no signs of remembering Alex.  
By the end of practice, Alex was fighting the urge to slap Tobin in the face. How could she look so happy? How could she not even remember Alex?  
The entire team was even fawning over the new player, trying their French accents and asking typical French questions. Tobin showed them photos of the Eiffel Tower and shared her Instagram username and Twitter handle, and Alex sat on the side as she watched Tobin.  
She still had the same face, the same laugh, the same smile- everything about her was the same. She hadn’t changed a bit, except for her lack of memory.  
And it got to Alex every time.  
Alex just couldn’t figure out when it could have happened.  
The two girls had written letters to each other constantly, and they only really slowed down around ninth grade, until Tobin shared that she would be travelling with the French youth national team and her letters progressively stopped. But Alex had still written. She wrote to Tobin weekly, telling her about everything that had happened and sharing photos of where she had gone with her own national team.  
But Tobin had never responded after the end of freshman year. All their contact ceased and Alex had never heard from the girl again.  
“Tobin, say something in French!” Kelley yelled, snapping Alex out of her trance.  
The forward looked up as Tobin laughed and cleared her throat.  
“Um, aujourd'hui était incroyable.” Tobin spoke.  
“Ooh, what’s that mean?” A-Rod asked.  
“Uh, it means, today was amazing.” Tobin laughed.  
The team laughed.  
“I can’t believe how well you still speak English.” Christen wondered aloud.  
Tobin raised an eyebrow.  
“What do you mean?” she asked, almost sounding nervous.  
“Well, you left here at age 10 and never came back. Most people forget most of their childhood when they’re so young and just pick up and leave like that.” Christen explained.  
Alex felt her heart tighten.  
“I actually relearned English.” Tobin replied.  
“So you did forget it?” Carli asked.  
Tobin nodded.  
“Like totally?” Carli added.  
Tobin nodded again.  
“Everything?” Carli emphasized, eyes wide.  
Tobin closed her eyes and nodded, a look on her face that made it seem as if she was grimacing.  
“How?” the Jersey native asked, in awe.  
“The accident.” Tobin said plainly.  
A few people raised their eyebrows, and some of them stared, waiting for Tobin to continue.  
“What accident?” Barnie asked softly.  
Tobin chewed her lip.  
“It’s a long story.” Tobin sighed.  
Everyone nodded slowly and Alex cleared her throat, the attention turning to her.  
“Tell it at dinner?” the forward asked.  
Tobin locked eyes with Alex for a moment and Alex noticed a scar along Tobin’s hairline before the midfielder caught her wandering eyes and turned away.  
“Maybe.” Tobin whispered, her voice sounding far off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This obviously isn't very long :/  
> But the next chapter will be jam-packed with information and drama!


	3. Chapter 3

Alex stayed in her hotel room for the four hour break until dinner, mindlessly checking her phone for a text from Tobin explaining her actions. When it didn’t come after two hours, the forward let out an exasperated sigh and it caused her roommate, Kelley, to give her an odd look. 

“You okay, Baby Horse?” Kelley asked.

Alex groaned again.

“No.”

Kelley sat up in her bed and looked at Alex expectantly.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Alex answered.

Kelley raised an eyebrow.

“You sure?”

Alex nodded.

“I want to make sure first.” Alex confirmed.

Kelley shrugged and went back to Twitter, scrolling through her news feed. Alex finally rolled off the bed and slid her shoes on, mumbling that she was going to go for a walk before dinner. Kelley hummed in agreement and Alex walked off down the hallway, not knowing where to go until she found herself in the hotel garden.

“This your spot?” a voice asked.

Alex jumped and turned, calming a little when she saw Tobin smiling at her.

“Sorry, dude, didn’t mean to scare you.” Tobin apologized.

Alex shrugged and made her way to the bench Tobin was sitting on, taking a seat beside the midfielder.

“What are you doing out here?” Alex asked.

Tobin held up a worn leather book and Alex nodded understandingly.

“And Lauren’s on the phone with her boyfriend so I couldn’t concentrate.” Tobin added.

“I see.” Alex answered.

The two were silent for a while.

“You did really good at practice today.” Tobin noted.

Alex smiled and thanked her, returning the compliment.

“Thanks, but I felt so out of place.” Tobin admitted.

Alex raised an eyebrow.

“I’ve only played on French national teams until now- we’re, like, your European rivals.” Tobin answered.

Alex shrugged.

“Then all the better that we get you.” Alex laughed.

Tobin nodded in agreement. 

“Do you remember anything about California?” Alex asked suddenly, her curiosity coming over her.

Tobin tensed up for a brief second before she relaxed and shook her head.

“Nothing?” Alex asked.

“Nothing.” Tobin confirmed.

Alex caught sight of the scar she had seen earlier and closed her eyes.

“Is it because of the accident?” Alex asked.

Tobin nodded slowly, her lips tucked in. 

“How old were you?” Alex asked.

“Fourteen- in my freshman year.” Tobin replied.

Alex questioned her next question and took a minute before asking.

“What happened?” Alex finally asked.

Tobin sighed and chewed her lip for a second before opening her mouth.

“Tob! Your mom is calling you!”

The two women looked to the entrance to the hotel, where Lauren was holding up a black iPhone. Tobin got up quickly and ran off.

“It was nice talking, Alex!” Tobin shouted as she ran away.

Alex let out a long sigh as she watched Tobin run off, leaving her alone. Again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all should be glad my tournament this weekend has games late so I can write (;

Alex hurried into the dining room at exactly six o’clock, looking around for the familiar face.  The young forward spotted it at the far end of the room, a few tables from the buffet tables, and rushed over, glad she was sitting alone for the time being.

“Oh, hey, Alex!” Tobin called with a wave.

Alex smiled in return and took the seat right next to Tobin.

“Mind if I sit here?” she asked.

Tobin nodded and shrugged as if to say “go for it” and immediately started playing with her fingers.  Alex took in a long and silent breath.

“Are you enjoying camp so far?” Alex asked.

Tobin nodded satisfactorily.

“It’s really good- girls are nice, coaches are cool, environment is chill.” Tobin replied.

Alex smiled as if she were proud of Tobin’s answer.

“Is it different from France?” Alex asked.

“Eh, kinda.” Tobin said, waving her hand side to side.

Alex could almost see the way Tobin’s eyebrow furrowed as she thought about each question- the way she used to.  But Alex couldn’t ignore how _everything_ about Tobin was the same except for her memory of her.

“Tobin!”

Alex and Tobin turned to see Lauren, A-Rod, Kelley, and Hope enter the room.  The midfielder stood up and greeted each of the girls when they reached the table.  There were still four seats left, which Ashlyn, Ali, Sydney, and Kristie occupied when they arrived.  By six thirty, everyone was downstairs, so Jill took the time to say a few words of welcome to everyone before letting them get their food.

“Sorry, Frenchy, but we only have American food.” Pinoe teased when she got behind Tobin in line.

The two took the time to go back and forth with fake comebacks until Pinoe surrendered to beat Tobin to the stack of plates.  Alex watched everything from a few places back in line, and held back the longing smile.  The forward didn’t even notice she was staring for so long until Syd elbowed her.

“Ow.” Alex commented.

Alex turned to the other forward.

“Dude, you’re staring.” Syd whispered.

Alex quickly looked down at her feet and shuffled through the line, returning to her seat next to Tobin.  The girls ate fairly slowly, enjoying their two hours of dinner before a night meeting to finish the day.  Their table was filled with soft chatter for the first part of dinner until Ali and Ashlyn seemed to have a small argument that resulted in Ashlyn raising her head and giving Tobin a look.

“Tobin?” the blonde goalkeeper asked.

Tobin looked up from her food with a raised eyebrow, nodding to accept whatever question Ashlyn had.  Alex, too, stopped eating to listen.

“You mentioned you’d tell us about your accident at dinner?” Ashlyn continued.

Tobin was motionless for a minute before shrugging and nodding.

“Yeah, I guess I did.” She admitted.

Everyone at the table had stopped eating now, and all of their attention was turned to Tobin.  The midfielder took the napkin off her lap and set it on the table, moving aside her utensils.

“Well, I guess I’ll start with background?” Tobin asked.

There was a silent agreement in the pause.

“I was fourteen- about to finish my freshman year of high school,” Tobin noted, “and I was at the combine camp for the national team, helping to scout for the team because our coach felt we should look for our teammates, in addition to her looking.  So, I was basically there to help demonstrate things and identify certain talented people.”

Tobin took a break and sipped from her water while everyone waited.

“In the last fifteen minutes or so of the actual combine, our coach wanted to practice corner kicks and, of course, wanted us to show our various plays that we worked on.  Naturally, I stepped up into my position and waited for the kick.  And I never say it.”

Ashlyn’s head was tilted to the side and looks of confusion were spread across people’s faces.

“You never saw it?” Hope clarified.

Tobin nodded as she took another sip of water.

“The next thing I remember is being in the hospital, surrounded by my parents and family and a few teammates.” Tobin replied.

“And?” Ashlyn pressed.

Ali gave her a small smack on the arm.

“I didn’t remember anything- my name, who the people were around me, what had happened, where I was- nothing.” Tobin responded.

“I don’t understand.” Alex stated plainly.

Tobin scrunched her nose.

“Like, what happened?” Alex helped explain.

“Doc said I got hit in just the right spot.” Tobin shrugged.

The girls sat where they were, waiting for more.

“It took a few weeks to relearn who everyone was as they visited me, and I could only speak French for whatever reason the doctor couldn’t explain- he said my speech and movement weren’t effected- just memory.  After two months or so, I was released and allowed to go home, and my parents were really protective.  They only let me dribble a soccer ball around the house and sit inside and call or visit with friends and teammates.”

“What did you remember?” Alex asked.

“I really only remembered how to talk and move- but talking was only French.  I didn’t know I had previously lived in America and I didn’t find out for another few years because my parents were afraid of the pressure I’d feel to remember those years of my life.”

“What did they tell you about America?” Alex insisted.

“Where we lived and went to school, why we left, some of the connections we still had.” Tobin listed.

“What connections did she tell you about?”

Everyone was giving Alex odd looks now, which the younger girl ignored as she listened to Tobin explain herself.

“Family and some co-workers of my parents.”

Tobin still looked neutral, as if alex’s pressing questions didn’t faze her.  And it mad Alex angry.

“They didn’t tell you about any friends?” Alex inquired.

Tobin shook her head.

“I never really asked.”

“Why?”

“I was ten when we left- I assumed that any friendships I had weren’t very important at that age.” Tobin replied nonchalantly. 

Alex held back the anger that was boiling inside and stopped herself from creating a scene and yelling at Tobin, a girl she’d “just met”.  The forward fell back in her seat and let Kelley ask a question.

“So this is your first time back in the states?” Kelley asked.

Tobin nodded.

“We left about three weeks early and visited our old neighborhood, saw our old house, visited family and old friends, and came here.”

“Did anything remind you of anything?” Hope followed.

Tobin shook her head sadly.

“Nah- for me, everything I saw was new ‘cept for family that had visited us in France.” Tobin answered, still seeming unfazed.

There was silence as people let the new information sink in and Tobin ate a little more of her food, acting as if she hadn’t just revealed a huge part of her past.  Alex couldn’t eat anymore, her anger rising with every passing second.

They made a promise to never forget each other- they had promised.  And Tobin had let it slip away and not bothered to ask anything of it. 

Alex remembered all the letters she had written that didn’t have replies.  All of the time she spent waiting for the mailman only to discover there was nothing for her.  Alex thought of how her packages of Tobin’s favorite American foods had been a waste of money. 

“No one from America contacted you?” Alex asked, her voice laced with bitterness.

Tobin looked up for a second, a look of confusion on her face before she shrugged it off.

“No one.” Tobin answered simply.

And then it all hit Alex at once, taking her breath as she sucked in for air sharply. 

Tobin hadn’t gotten them. 


	5. Chapter 5

Alex skipped Tobin’s invitation to watch movies in her room that night with the other girls and headed straight to her room after the meeting, collapsing onto her bed with her mind swirling with thoughts.  
Tobin hadn’t gotten the letters, which meant two things: they had gotten lost in the mail or her parents hid them.   
The forward sat in the same position for almost two hours until Kelley came back, sitting next to Alex silently.  
“Want to tell me what got into you at dinner?” the defender asked.  
Alex shook her head.  
“Baby Horse, c’mon- I know something is bothering you.” Kelley urged.  
Alex shook her head again and was suddenly overcome by emotion as her eyes filled with tears.  
“She doesn’t remember me.” Alex finally said, her voice cracking.  
Kelley put an arm around Alex as she settled onto her shoulder, silent tears rolling down her cheeks.  
“What do you mean?” Kelley asked.  
Alex tried to blink away the tears before continuing.  
“We grew up across the street from each other- we were best friends, Kell. And when she left, we promised not to forget one another.” Alex shared.  
“And she forgot.” Kelley finished.  
Alex nodded. When they had made that promise as ten year olds, Alex never imagined Tobin would actually forget her. She never thought it could be possible.   
“Al, it’s not her fault.” Kelley reasoned.  
“And that’s why I’m so angry.” Alex answered.  
Kelley ignored her confusion and let Alex lean against her shoulder, tears now gone.  
“I wrote her letters every week until sophomore year started. She didn’t answer for months. And I thought I had done something wrong.” Alex added.  
“I was so mad at her.”  
A tear escaped down Alex’s face and Kelley brushed it away as the forward sat up.  
“But Jeri and Jen wouldn’t let me be. They told me she had her reasons and that I had to understand that life wasn’t fair.” Alex continued.  
Kelley hung her head sadly as Alex spoke, a realization coming over her that she wasn’t entirely sure Alex had ever come to seen in the past few days- or even years. The defender sighed as Alex continued to speak.  
“They told me that Tobin had a lot going on and that I couldn’t be mad at her because it wasn’t the right thing to do.”  
Kelley closed her eyes when Alex finished.  
“Did they know?”  
“Know what?” Alex asked, sitting up.  
“About Tobin’s accident.” Kelley clarified.  
Alex scrunched her nose.  
“No; I-I was the only one who spoke to Tobin.” Alex replied.  
“But did Tobin’s parents tell yours?” Kelley asked.  
“That’s not possible. They would’ve told me.”  
“Not if they thought it was too much for you to handle.”  
Alex thought for a second before shaking her head.  
“They wouldn’t do that to me.” Alex insisted.  
Kelley nodded, not wanting to create a scene trying to tell Alex something she wasn’t entirely sure was true. And Alex already seemed upset.  
“How about this?” Kelley began.  
Alex looked over expectantly.  
“Tobin said her parents rented out their old house for a year to see if America’s national team works out. Get to know her a little here and then visit her after camp where you can meet and, maybe, confront her parents.” Kelley suggested.  
Alex nodded along with the idea.  
“Thanks, Kell.” Alex replied.  
Kelley shrugged, mentioning that Alex would probably do the same for her. Alex sighed after a few moments of silence and stood up, gathering some clothes.  
“I’m gonna get ready for bed now.” Alex explained to Kelley.  
The defender nodded and got onto her bed.  
“Night, Kell.” Alex called.  
“Night, Baby Horse.”   
\-----   
The next morning, Alex got up early and was the first in the breakfast room again, happy when she saw Tobin in the same spot she was last night.  
“Hey, Tobin!” Alex called.  
The midfielder looked up from her Bible and waved at Alex as she sat down in the same spot as last night. Tobin quickly put away her Bible when Alex sat down and smiled again.  
“Sorry for all the questions last night.” Alex apologized immediately.  
Tobin shrugged and waved her hand.  
“Nah, it’s okay.” Tobin replied.   
Alex was silent and Kelley soon joined them, Hope following a few minutes behind. Breakfast went by quickly and Tobin stood up to go get ready for practice when Alex grabbed her arm, stopping her.  
“Want to sit together on the bus?” Alex asked when she had Tobin’s attention.  
Tobin smiled and nodded.  
“Yeah, sure.” she answered.  
Alex smiled and let Tobin get ready, sitting back into her chair when Hope laughed.  
“What?” Alex asked, shooting her a look.  
The goalkeeper shrugged and Alex looked at Ali and Ashlyn, who were also holding back laughs.  
“What?” Alex asked again.  
Ali shook her head as she laughed and Ashlyn raised a hand to signal for Alex to give her time.  
“Way to be discreet.” Ashlyn commented.  
“About what?”  
“Want to sit together on the bus?” Ashlyn mimicked, batting her eyelashes and puckering her lips.  
The other girls at the table burst into fits of laughter while Alex’s eyes went wide.  
“That’s not how I meant it!” Alex exclaimed defensively.  
The girls continued laughing.  
“Did you see Tobin’s face?” Ashlyn asked.  
Alex shook her head honestly.  
“Well judging by her look, that’s how she heard it.” Ashlyn explained.  
Alex dropped her heart into her hands and she groaned softly. Ali put a hand out on her arm and smiled warmly while holding back a laugh.  
“Don’t worry- she seemed honored.” Ali noted.  
A small smile reached Alex’s face for a second before a thought reached her mind.  
Her best friend liked her?


	6. Chapter 6

“Yes! Oh my God, don’t tell me you’ve never been there?!”

“Never.” Tobin answered, laughing. 

Alex’s eyes went wide dramatically.

“You’ve _never_ been to Disneyland?” Alex shrieked again.

Tobin laughed, nodding.

“Why?” Alex asked.

Tobin shrugged.

“I was always too busy, I guess.” Tobin answered.

Alex shook her head in disbelief.

“Oh, no, no, no.  That’s not an excuse.” Alex replied.

Tobin laughed.

“I’m serious! You _have_ to go to Disneyland!” Alex exclaimed.

Tobin laughed again at Alex’s antics.

“You know what?” Alex asked.

“What?” Tobin challenged.

“I’m taking you to Disneyland.” Alex stated.

“Oh really?” Tobin asked, eyebrows raised.

Alex nodded vigorously.

“When camp is over, you get a day free before we go to Disneyland.” Alex planned.

Tobin agreed through laughter and Alex smiled triumphantly.

During the first week of the two week training camp, Alex had taken Kelley’s advice and forced herself to hang out with Tobin and “get to know her” and rebuild their friendship while also trying to remind the midfielder of their friendship.  It had been successful, too, because Tobin and Alex had become bus buddies and sat next to each other for meetings and meals, and Alex even parted with Syd to be Tobin’s partner for certain drills. 

The two were currently in Alex and Kelley’s room, alone because Kelley wanted to hang out with Hope for their day off.  Tobin and Alex had been one of few that elected to stay at the hotel, and the only ones who turned down a trip to the game room.  Which left them alone.

“Do you want to go to church with me tomorrow?” Tobin asked.

Alex sat up on the bed they were laying on.

“The one the others are going to?” Alex asked.

Tobin shook her head.    

“I, um, I go to Hillsong and I found one in LA and Jill is letting me go there instead.” Tobin explained.

Alex smiled.

“Yeah, I’ll go.” She answered.

Tobin nodded and returned the smile.  Then, the midfielder also sat up on the bed.

“Let’s go to the pool.” Tobin stated.

“I didn’t bring a swimsuit…” Alex trailed.

Tobin shrugged.

“Just go in your sports bra and pros.”

Alex reluctantly agreed and followed the midfielder down to the pool, taking off her clothes first and jumping in when Tobin wasn’t looking.  Tobin, however, didn’t care.  The midfielder slid off her shorts first and Alex’s eyes widened at how muscular her legs were.  When Tobin pulled off her shirt, Alex had to force her jaw closed but she couldn’t prevent staring at Tobin’s perfectly chiseled abs. 

“Holy shit, Tob, I need to know your ab workout.” Alex murmured.

Tobin laughed as she cannon balled into the pool, splashing water everywhere.  The midfielder soon resurface and swam over to Alex.

“Refreshing?” Tobin asked.

Alex nodded. 

“Ya know, I bet I can do a better canon ball than you.” Alex challenged.

Tobin raised an eyebrow.

“I’d like to see.”

Alex smiled and lifted herself out of the pool, backing up a few paces and looking at Tobin, who gestured at Alex to go ahead.  Alex pumped her arms once and ran to the edge of the pool, jumping off and doing a small flip in the air before grabbing her knees and landing in the water.  Alex resurfaced to the sound of clapping.

“Are you Alex Morgan or Gabby Douglas?” Tobin joked.

Alex giggled, swimming to Tobin and wiping the water off her face. 

“Impressive, right?” Alex asked.

Tobin scrunched her nose.

“Eh, I think I could do better.” Tobin reasoned.

Alex nudged her towards the edge of the pool and Tobin got the memo, getting out and taking a few steps back.

“Go!” Alex shouted dramatically.

Tobin did a small wave of her hands to calm Alex and put her hands up triumphantly.  The midfielder took a run up and lifted herself off the ground, flipping once before straightening her body into a dive and plunging into the water.  Alex swam over to where Tobin had gone under and waited.

After a few seconds, Tobin’s head popped up inches from Alex’s face and the forward giggled at Tobin’s startled look.

“Pretty impressive.” Alex admitted, not moving.

Tobin blushed, also keeping her position. 

“You know, your eyes are _really_ blue.” Tobin noted.

Alex smiled and swam a little closer.

“I’ve been told.” The forward answered.

Tobin smiled and Alex  watched her lick her chapped lips.  Tobin’s eyes flashed down to Alex’s own lips and the midfielder found herself grabbing the forward and pulling her close. 

“I think your eyes are nice, too.” Alex whispered.

Tobin blushed again and this time, the two were only centimeters apart.  Alex had her eyes closed and was waiting for Tobin’s lips to meet hers when they both heard the door fly open and someone yelled out.

“Tobes! Al!”

Alex recognized the voice as Kelley’s and cursed the defender mentally, while glad Tobin’s quick reflexes had set her a few feet away.  The defender wasted no time in hopping in the pool, though, and Alex rolled her eyes as Kelley swam over to them.

“Fancy meeting you here.” Kelley joked.

Alex glared at the defender, causing her to lean closer to Tobin when she caught the glance. 

“Anyways,” Kelley trailed, turning to Tobin.

Alex moved herself closer to the other two girls, her mind whirling so she couldn’t hear Kelley as one thought reached her.

She’d almost kissed Tobin.


	7. Chapter 7

Alex took in the image beside her dreamily, thankful for how the sun came through the window and shone onto every single one of Tobin’s features.  The tan girl’s eyes were closed and Alex was sure she didn’t see her watching her closely.  There was a small strand of hair sticking out of Tobin’s bun and Alex fought the urge to fix it for the midfielder.

“Amen.” Tobin murmured.

Alex looked up as if she, too, had finished the prayer, and caught Tobin’s glance towards her.

“Like it?” the midfielder asked.

Alex nodded quietly, even though she hadn’t heard a single word the pastor had said all service.  Just as Alex was admiring the way Tobin intently focused on the pastor and took in every word that came from his mouth, there was a loud gurgle.  A blush quickly spread across the forward’s cheeks and she was thankful for choosing the furthest pew and the only one with no one around but Tobin.

“Hungry?” Tobin teased quietly, looking over.

Alex shrugged and nodded.

“I woke up late and couldn’t get breakfast.” Alex admitted.

Tobin smiled warmly.

“Why don’t we go get some brunch?” Tobin asked.

“Now?”

Tobin nodded in clarification and slid out of the pew, letting Alex in front of her as they silently left the church and entered the lobby.

Only five minutes passed between the church and the two women being seated at a booth in IHOP.   

“Is leaving church early a habit for you?” Alex joked once they had ordered.

Tobin played with her straw wrapper while shaking her head.

“Nah, but I do what I can to please others.” Tobin answered, turning the blame to Alex.

“Well don’t make it a habit.” Alex said in a scolding voice.

Tobin promised she wouldn’t and Alex laughed.

“I liked it, though.” The forward said, even though she hadn’t been listening.

“I know you weren’t paying attention.” Tobin pointed out.

Alex’s eyes went wide.  Did Tobin know she was staring?

“What makes you think so?” Alex challenged, trying to keep her cool.

Tobin shrugged, tossing aside the straw wrapper.

“My mom once told me that if someone is hungry during church, it means they aren’t paying enough attention to forget their hunger- so to pay attention.” Tobin laughed.

Alex raised an eyebrow.

“I’m guessing it was said whenever you complained about hunger during service?”

Tobin nodded, smiling wide.  Alex scoffed and shook her head.

“You used your mom’s methods on me?” Alex asked, sounded hurt.

Tobin laughed again. 

“It’s kinda true, though.” Alex admitted.

“It usually worked for me.” Tobin answered honestly. 

The waitress walked over with their food then, and Alex smiled when she saw Tobin’s usual order in front of her- two pancakes, hash browns covered in ketchup, and one piece of bacon.  Tobin immediately started eating, and Alex turned her attention to her cheese omelet, letting their conversation be forgotten while the two ate.

\-----

“You went to IHOP without me?!”

Alex looked up to see Kelley giving the forward a glare as she made her way to the bench to put on her cleats for their afternoon training session.

“Who told you?” Alex asked.

Kelley gave the forward a knowing look. 

“Hope’s room is next to Cheney and Tobin’s, so when I was leaving Hope’s room to change, I saw Tobin going into her room with none other than a bag.  From IHOP.” Kelley shared.

Alex blushed.

“She went without me?” Alex faked.

Kelley smacked the forward.

“I know you were with her this morning.” Kelley noted.

“Alex was with who?” Syd asked, sitting down.

“No one.”

“Tobin.”

Kelley and Alex replied at the same time.  Alex rolled her eyes as Kelley laughed at having told Sydney what Alex didn’t want the other girl to know.

“Ooh, you sure you don’t have the hots for her?” Sydney teased.

“No, guys! Like I said, she was my best friend.  That’d be too weird!” Alex exclaimed.

“What’d be weird?” Tobin asked nonchalantly, taking a seat on the grass with Cheney.

Alex’s eyes went wide and Kelley and Sydney focused on their shoes.

“Oh, uh, um, I was just telling Kelley that,” Alex stumbled while Tobin gave her an odd look, “I was telling Kelley and Syd that it’d be weird if Syd got back together with her ex.”

Sydney’s eyes went wide and Alex could hear Kelley choking back laughter.

“I agree with Lex- it’d be awkward.” Tobin answered.

“Lex?” Alex asked.

Tobin nodded, smiling.

“It’s my new nickname for you- shorter than Alex.” Tobin replied.

“But Alex is already short for Alexandra.”

“And now Lex is short for Alex.” Tobin said, running off with Cheney to juggle.

Alex was left with a smile on her face, and Kelley took action.

“C’mon, let’s get ready-“ Kelley said, turning to Alex, “ _Lex_.”

Sydney burst into laughter and Alex smacked Kelley’s butt as she ran off, laughing the entire time. 


	8. Chapter 8

“Have fun on your date, okay? “Kelley asked, hugging Alex.

The forward smacked Kelley for the hundredth time that week when she pulled out of the hug.

“It’s not a date.” Alex corrected.

Kelley put her hands up in fake surrender and laughed, taking her suitcases and going off to continue saying good-bye to everyone.  Tobin came out of the elevator with Cheney then, and made her way to the forward.

“Taxi here yet?” Tobin asked.

On Wednesday, Alex had finally asked Tobin where she lived so she could pick her up before their trip to Disneyland the following Monday.  Tobin proceeded to give Alex her address and Alex pretended to be surprised that the midfielder lived across the street.  Tobin had then insisted on them going home together that Saturday when camp ended. 

“Yeah, it’s out front.” Alex replied.

Tobin nodded and headed out, having already said her good-byes at breakfast.  Alex waved a final good-bye to Kelley and Syd before following Tobin outside.  Both women got into the backseat and Alex gave the driver her address, leaning back when he began driving.

“What are you doing when you get home?” Tobin asked.

Alex shrugged.

“Jeri and Jen went out with their boyfriends tonight to an Angels game and my parents decided to go on a date night, so I’ll be stuck at home unpacking.” Alex answered.

Tobin sat up a little straighter.

“Want to come over for dinner?” Tobin asked.

Alex turned to Tobin and smiled, nodding.

“Yeah, sure.” Alex replied.

“Sweet! You can come at, like, five.” Tobin suggested.

Alex nodded and before either girl knew it, they were pulling up in front of Alex’s house.  Alex recognized Tobin’s little brother outside shooting hoops and did her best not to stare at the house as she entered her own to start unpacking.

\-----

Alex took in one long breath as she waited for her phone’s clock to hit five o’clock before ringing the doorbell on the Heath house.  It took all of five seconds for Tobin to pull open the door, a smile on her face.

“Come in.” Tobin greeted.

Alex stepped into the house like she’d done so many times as a child, and complimented Tobin’s clothes- light blue skinny jeans and a plain white V-neck.  Tobin guided Alex into the TV room, where Jeff was lying on the couch watching TV.

“My mom is still setting up and my dad’s finishing the steaks, so we can watch TV ‘til everything’s ready.” Tobin noted.

Alex nodded and Jeff got up, shaking Alex’s hand.  The forward swore she saw the younger boy give her an odd look, but she didn’t expect him to remember her- he’d only been three when the Heaths left for Paris. 

“I’m Alex.”

“I’m Jeffrey, but call me Jeff.”

Jeff moved to the recliner and Alex sat on the couch beside Tobin, watching the movie they were currently in the middle of.

“Alex!”

Alex turned to see Mr. Heath walking into the living room with a smile almost identical to Tobin’s.

“Hello, Mr. Heath.” Alex smiled, standing up.

The man showed no recognition of Alex, and the forward eyed him carefully as he skipped the handshake and hugged Alex.

“Call me Jeffrey, Alex, please.” Mr. Heath insisted.

Alex smiled and nodded.

“C’mon, girls and Jeff, dinner is ready.”

Alex followed Tobin and Jeff into the kitchen, and took a seat next to Tobin. 

“Hello, Alex.” Cindy greeted.

Alex smiled and greeted the older woman, who also showed no signs of remembering the youngest Morgan.  Alex returned the smiles and hugs and bowed her head when Mr. Heath led the prayer before dinner. 

“I hope you’re not vegetarian or anything.” Mrs. Heath smiled.

Alex shook her head and the older woman’s comment triggered the memory of when Alex insisted on being vegetarian and Tobin laughing because their family ate meat too much and it meant Alex wouldn’t be able to come over for dinner anymore. 

“I definitely like my meat.” Alex answered with a small laugh.

Mrs. Heath nodded happily and the family, plus Alex, continued eating.

“Isn’t it weird we grew up across the street from each other?” Tobin asked when they were done.

Alex swallowed her meat and watched Mr. and Mrs. Heath’s eyes go wide for a moment.

“It is, actually.” Alex played along.

Tobin nodded and took her plate to the sink.

“Tobin, honey, can you do dishes tonight?  I’d like to get to know your new friend.” Mrs. Heath asked.

Tobin happily agreed and the family dismissed itself from the table, with Jeff joining Tobin while Alex went into the backyard with Mr. and Mrs. Heath. 

“It’s nice to see you guys again.” Alex immediately noted.

Mr. Heath took a seat on one of the lawn chairs and Mrs. Heath did the same.  Alex remained standing.

“Why doesn’t she remember me?” Alex asked, her voice giving off how hurt she was. 

“Alex, Tobin had a serious accident and,” Mr. Heath began.

“I know about her accident.” Alex interrupted.

Both Heath parents gave Alex an odd look.

“Tobin told the team about it because people were curious about her scar.  I know what happened, and I also know that she wasn’t told much about America.” Alex filled.

“Alex, honey, it’s complicated.” Mrs. Heath reasoned.

“I don’t think it is; Tobin was my _best_ friend and she didn’t even know who I was- she doesn’t even think we talked while we lived across the street for ten years.” Alex pointed out.

Jeff and Cindy were quiet and Alex fought back the tears that were building up.

“Why didn’t you tell her about me?” Alex asked.

Mr. Heath stood up.

“Alex, she was pressured to remember a lot of things- we didn’t want to put more stuff onto her.”

“With all due respect, I want to say that makes no sense.”

“We didn’t want Tobin to remember someone who didn’t remember her.” Mrs. Heath noted.

“I wrote letters to her for five years after you left!” Alex exclaimed.

“And I still never forgot about her when I stopped.” Alex added.

Mr. Heath sat back down and tapped his fingertips together.

“Alex, you know we’re a religious family, right?” Mr. Heath asked.

Alex nodded.

“And religious people like for things to happen as God would have them.”

Alex raised an eyebrow.

“You’re saying Tobin didn’t remember me because _God_ didn’t want her to?” Alex asked.

 Mr. Heath nodded.

“That’s bullshit!” Alex shouted.

Mr. Heath stood up again.

“Maybe she didn’t remember because she suffered from a bad accident!  And _you_ didn’t tell her about me!” Alex challenged.

“She had the accident because God wanted her to.”

“And I kept writing because God wanted us to remain close?” Alex questioned.

Mr. Heath shook his head.

“God _and_ Cindy and I felt you were no good for Tobin.”

Tears filled Alex’s eyes quickly.

“Tobin was taking off in her soccer career and big things were happening for her.”

“They were for me, too- and you’d have known if you saw the letters.” Alex replied.

“We didn’t want a childhood friend an ocean way distracting her.  Like you used to.”

Alex gave Mr. Heath a glare.

“You always got Tobin in trouble at school and practice and we didn’t want those distractions to be carried over.”

“That’s bullshit!”

The sliding door opened and everyone looked to see Tobin coming outside.

“What’s wrong?” Tobin asked, noticing Alex’s tears. 

Alex shook her head and wiped her eyes.

“I’m going home.” Alex muttered.

Tobin gave Alex and her parents a confused look.

“Alex, what happened?” Tobin asked when the forward brushed past her to get inside.

“Stop, Tobin.” Alex replied.

“No, Alex,” Tobin grabbed the forward’s arm before she could open the front door, “tell me what happened.  What did my parents say?”

Tobin’s eyes were full of sincerity and Alex laughed bitterly, fresh tears falling.

“Why don’t you ask them?  They seem to have a lot to tell you about that they never reminded you of.” Alex said coldly, walking out the door and leaving Tobin alone and confused. 


	9. Chapter 9

Alex’s phone was vibrating nonstop on her nightstand as worked her way around her room, tearing all the pictures of her and Tobin off the walls.  The photos ranged from ones of the two girls as toddlers to them on their first days of school or on family vacations with one another.  There were tons of them and Alex had kept them all, waiting for Tobin to come to her house one day on her skateboard and reversed cap and ask for a cup of pulp free orange juice like she used to when they were kids.  Each photo was pulled from its place on the wall and Alex tossed it to the desk in her room, piling up picture after picture as they came off the wall. 

When every photo had been ripped from the wall, Alex took in a shaky breath and fell onto her bed, staring at her plain white ceiling. 

None of this was ever supposed to happen.

*flashback*

_“My mom’s gonna be late.” Tobin sighed, sitting on the curb next to Alex._

_Alex looked at her best friend, teammate, and neighbor, and shrugged._

_“We can juggle.” Alex offered._

_Tobin’s face lit up and the ten year old nodded happily.  Alex pulled her ball from the pocket on her backpack and her and Tobin ran to the small patch of grass by the parking lot.  The ball bounced back and forth between the two of them, and Alex watched Tobin control the ball.  Every time the ball came towards Alex, it would drop to the floor._

_“Forget it- I suck.” Alex muttered, throwing the ball to the ground._

_Tobin, who had gone through this a few times before, caught the ball and walked towards Alex, who had dramatically sat on the ground with her arms and legs crossed._

_“C’mon, Lex, you don’t suck.” Tobin reasoned._

_Alex shook her head._

_“I do- you’re better than Mia Hamm and I just suck.” Alex groaned._

_Tobin sat down on the grass next to Alex._

_“Well you’re better than Kristine Lilly.” Tobin answered._

_Alex shook her head angrily._

_“You’re good ‘nough for the national team, Lex!” Tobin exclaimed._

_Alex looked at Tobin expectantly._

_“Both of us.” Alex corrected._

_Tobin smiled widely._

_“’Course, Lex- I can’t let the defenders tackle you.” Tobin defended._

_Alex giggled.  Because she was the youngest on the team, she was usually knocked over in games.  Tobin, one of the tallest girls, would then run to her and push away whoever knocked Alex down._

_“We’re both gonna be on the national team.” Alex confirmed._

_“And better than Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly put together.” Tobin exaggerated._

_Alex smiled and Tobin mimicked it, a familiar glow in her eyes._

_“Pinky promise?” Alex asked, sticking out her pinky._

_Tobin nodded._

_“Pinky promise.” She answered, joining pinkies with Alex’s._

*end flashback*

Alex took in a shaky breath as her phone buzzed again next to her.  The forward picked it up to see Tobin calling her yet again.  As a last minute decision, Alex answered.

“Alex, please don’t hang up.” Tobin started off.

Alex sighed loudly.

“What do you want.” Alex said in more of a demanding tone.

Alex could almost picture Tobin running a hand through her hair nervously.

“Alex, I talked to my parents.” Tobin began.

“And?”

The forward wasn’t wasting any time.

“I didn’t know.”

Alex scoffed.

“Of course you didn’t, Tobin.” Alex answered.

“Alex, can we talk?” Tobin asked.

“We’re talking right now.”

Tobin scoffed on the other end.

“You know what I mean.” Tobin replied.

Alex sighed, looking out her window.  She noticed the curtain to Tobin’s bedroom fall back into place.

“Fine- meet at our usual place.” Alex agreed.

“What’s our original place?” Tobin asked.

Alex smirked.

“Ask your parents.” She replied, hanging up. 

\---

Tobin was already sitting on one of the swings when Alex showed up, and the forward’s heart dropped to the stomach when she saw Tobin.  She was wearing black jeans now and had changed into a white t-shirt, with a red beanie on her head.  But most importantly to Alex, the midfielder was sitting in _her_ swing- the seat Tobin had claimed to be hers the first time they visited the swing sets in kindergarten. 

“Hey.” Tobin smiled.

Alex hesitated before sitting in “her” swing next to Tobin.  Tobin wasted no time in starting their conversation.

“I’m guessing your parents told you everything?” Alex asked.

Tobin nodded.

“I don’t even know where to start, Alex.” Tobin admitted.

Alex felt a small bit of sympathy for Tobin.  The two girls were silent for a long time.

“I read the letters.” Tobin started.

Alex looked up quickly, confusion etched on her face.

“After my parents told me, I was sitting in my room and Perry gave me a box full of letters.” Tobin explained.

Tobin reached into her back pocket and pulled one of them out.  Alex shivered when she saw it- the last letter she had written.  Alex took in a breath of air and stayed quiet.

“Why did you stop writing?” Tobin asked.

Alex shook her head gently. 

“I didn’t mean to.” Alex answered honestly.

*flashback*

_“Alex, stop doing this to yourself.” Jen told her youngest sister._

_Alex shook her head._

_“No, Jen, I have to keep writing to her- I have to tell her what’s going on.” Alex answered._

_Jennifer Morgan sighed helplessly at her fifteen year old sister.  Alex was pulling out another piece of paper and the hot pink pen Tobin had bought her before moving to France.  The oldest Morgan sibling could see her sister’s frustration as the pen’s ink slowly died out._

_“Alex- it’s no use.” Jen assured._

_Alex stopped with her hand over her paper._

_“Please don’t do this, Jen.” Alex pleaded, her voice cracking._

_Jen stepped forward, taking the pen from Alex’s hand and pulling her sister into her arms.  Alex hugged her sister tightly and gently rubbed Alex’s back._

_“Don’t do this to yourself, Alex.  Don’t wait for something you’re not going to get.” Jen whispered._

*end flashback*

Tears were rolling down Alex’s cheeks.

“I waited a year for you to answer me,” Alex began, “and I couldn’t do it anymore.”

Tobin was silent.

“I’m sorry.” Tobin apologized.

Alex scoffed, shaking her head.

“That’s the hardest part.” Alex answered.

Tobin raised an eyebrow curiously.

“I tried to be mad at you- I tried, but when someone forgets you without a choice, it’s really hard.” Alex explained, half laughing.

Tobin stayed silent, unsure of whether or not laughing would be appropriate.

“I spent five years waiting for you to come back- and even when it was obvious I knew you weren’t, I still did.” Alex continued.

Tobin was still quiet, playing with her fingers as she listened to Alex.

“You know what’s worst about it all?” Alex asked.

Tobin finally looked up from her fingers and gave Alex a questioning look.  Alex wiped her eyes and sniffled.  Tobin waited silently the entire time, letting Alex know she could continue.  Alex sighed and sniffled again, looking down at her own fingers embarrassingly before finally meeting Tobin’s eyes again.

“I never stopped waiting for you to come home.” 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I skipped forward a few days to the Disneyland trip (:

Alex laughed as she watched the scene unfold in front of her.  Tobin was impatiently waiting in line to see Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and she clung tightly to a small autograph book she had bought herself.  The tan midfielder was giving Alex looks the entire wait as she hinted at how annoying the people in line were- giggling and talking to the characters for hours at a time.  When the midfielder finally got to the front, Alex stepped forward with Tobin’s phone and took a picture for the midfielder, smiling at it as Tobin’s face lit up as Alex counted down.

“You’re such a child.” Alex commented.

The two were leaving the characters as Tobin had her autograph book open, admiring the signatures from the two characters.  Tobin suddenly looked up and shrieked, pointing to the Dumbo ride.

“I wanna ride it!” Tobin shouted.

The midfielder left Alex and ran for the line, hopping excitedly from foot to foot as Alex came to join her, apologizing as she cut in front of the people now behind Tobin.  Tobin was giggling happily the entire time, and Alex kept shaking her head, knowing they were getting odd looks.

“There’s nothing like this in France.” Tobin said admirably.

Alex laughed, shaking her head.  Tobin turned and gave her an odd look.

“There’s a Disneyland _Paris_ , dummy.” Alex giggled.

Tobin smacked her own forehead with her hand, shaking her head at herself.  The two were silent as the line moved a little.

“How long were you out of soccer?” Alex asked suddenly.

Tobin shrugged, twisting her lips.

“Only about a year- but I stayed in shape and the coach felt giving me a second chance was an obligation because of the accident.” Tobin answered.

Alex nodded and suddenly noticed Tobin’s mood change.

“I’m sorry to bring it up.” The forward apologized.

Tobin shrugged.

“It’s okay- I’m used to people asking.” Tobin brushed off.

The ride operator opened the gate and Tobin and Alex followed the line through, and Alex raced Tobin to one of the elephants, getting inside and letting Tobin squeeze next to her.

“Can we ride the Buzzlighter ride next?” Tobin asked.

Alex looked over and smiled softly.  Tobin’s eyes were hopeful and her hands were knit together in a pleading way.  Alex nodded in agreement and Tobin thrust a fist in the air and the ride started.

“I’m Dumbo!” Tobin shouted.

The midfielder put her arms out as the ride moved, and Alex laughed.  Tobin’s happiness was short lived, though, as the ride soon came to a stop and the riders were to leave.  Tobin ran to the Buzzlighter line, though, and Alex walked behind like they’d done all day.

“You’re going down, ya know.” Alex challenged as they sat in their seats.

Tobin pulled the lap bar over them and shook her head.

“Nuh-uh.” The midfielder answered.

Tobin grabbed her “gun” and prepared herself for the game to begin, her arms bent and gun pointed in the direction of where the targets would be.  The ride began and Tobin immediately started shooting at everything.  The older girl was so engrossed in the game she didn’t even realize Alex taking a picture of her.  Or that Alex was purposely missing the targets. 

 _“Disneyland with this child_ ” Alex captioned her photo as she posted it to Instagram.  The ride had just ended and Tobin was a few feet ahead of Alex running to look for their picture from the ride to email it to herself. 

“I WON!”

Alex looked up to see Tobin jumping up and down, pointing from the screen the Alex.  The forward hurried forward and quieted Tobin, laughing as the midfielder’s hands shook while she typed in her email address. 

When Tobin was done sending herself the picture, Alex got it sent to herself while Tobin browsed the gift shop.  Alex was looking for the midfielder when a hand came out in front of her, a tiny replica of the guns pointed at her nose.

“Freeze.” Tobin said seriously.

Alex giggled, grabbing another replica gun nearby and pointing it to Tobin.

“Gotcha.” The forward challenged.

Tobin laughed and paid for her gun, and the two soccer players walked into the other side of the park.  Alex pointed out some of the rides to Tobin, but she could tell the midfielder was tired.  They had been at the park since it opened and Alex had watched Tobin bounce around as they waited in line at Cars Land, and then followed the midfielder to the main park.  Tobin hadn’t missed a beat since they woke up that morning, and Alex could see her energy dying down.  And it was only two o’clock.

“There’s a Pirates of the Caribbean ride.” Alex suggested.

Tobin nodded quietly and the two girls weaved through the ropes, glad there was no line.  Alex went into the boat first and took the edge seat, letting Tobin next to her.  The rest of their row was empty, and their entire boat, due to the fairly cold weather outside and the uncrowded park.

As the ride started, Tobin leaned her head on Alex’s shoulder and the forward smiled softly, glad the ride was pretty dark.  Within seconds, it seemed, Tobin was asleep and breathing softly.  The ride only lasted ten minutes, and Alex didn’t want to wake the midfielder, so when the ride circled to the front and no one was in line yet, she asked the operator if they could continue riding.  She noticed Tobin asleep on Alex’s shoulder and smiled.

“First timer?” the operator asked.

Alex smiled and nodded.  The operator smiled again and put them through the ride again.  The two girls circled the ride almost five times before they returned to a small group of people waiting.  Alex looked down at Tobin, who was still asleep, and frowned slightly.  She didn’t know how to wake the older girl, let alone if she wanted to.  Gently, she nudged Tobin.

“Tobes,” Alex whispered.

Tobin sleepily opened her eyes and looked around.

“The ride is over.”

Alex decided she wouldn’t tell Tobin how long they had gone around the ride.  Tobin yawned and came to her senses as Alex helped her out of the boat. 

“Let’s eat.” Alex suggested.

Tobin nodded and Alex found them a table at the restaurant outside of the Pirate’s exit.  They ate in silence before Alex spoke up.

“The Electrical Parade starts in an hour, and the fireworks are at nine o’clock.” Alex noted.

Tobin nodded, still looking pretty tired.

“What do you want to do until fireworks?  We have three hours.” Alex asked.

Tobin perked up a little and she looked behind her back to the Tarzan play area.  Alex smiled and Tobin gave her a hopeful look.  The forward nodded in approval.

“We can do that.” Alex laughed.

Tobin smiled and mumbled a thank you before returning to her food.  The midfielder finished and looked up at Alex.

“Thank you for exposing me.” Tobin smiled.

Alex shrugged it off.

“I am no longer a Disneyland virgin.” Tobin stated.

Alex slapped a hand over her mouth as she laughed.

“Tobin!” Alex shrieked.

The midfielder laughed and the table next to them gave Tobin an odd look. 

“It’s true.” Tobin told Alex.

The forward shook her head, still smiling.

“You could’ve chosen better words.” Alex answered.

Tobin shrugged, twisting her lips.

“I wouldn’t have gotten the same reaction, though.” Tobin smirked.

Alex scoffed, shaking her head.

“You’re so rude.” Alex replied.

“But you like it.”


	11. Chapter 11

Alex found a bench on the side of Main Street and Tobin fell onto it beside her, sighing loudly as she did so.

“We have fifteen minutes until the show begins.” Alex announced.

The Electrical Parade had been amazing and Tobin had thoroughly enjoyed staring wide eyed at everything, and the two had visited an ice cream shop before talking for the past hour and a half.  The two then walked from the small world ride to Main Street to find a place to sit to watch the fireworks.

“Let’s just sit.” Tobin suggested.

Alex nodded.  She knew Tobin had to be exhausted with all of the energy she had burned running around the park.  The two women sat in silence and watched everyone pass them.

At one point during their wait, two little girls, aged about eight, ran past, giggling the entire time.

“Tobin Heath?”

Tobin and Alex looked up to see a small family of four with two teenagers- one boy and one girl- looking shyly at her.

“Yes?” Tobin asked.

“Pouvons-nous avoir un autographe? Nous sommes de grands fans.”The girl mumbled in French.Tobin smiled widely and nodded.“Oui.” She answered.Tobin signed the small autograph books each teenager had and the older woman, most likely their mom, took a picture of the three of them together. “Merci.” They noted, walking away.Tobin smiled widely at them.“I’m with a celebrity.” Alex mocked.Tobin smacked her gently on the arm and rolled her eyes.“Someone’s just jealous.” Tobin answered.Alex was about to make a remark when the speakers turned on and the fireworks show began. Tobin turned her attention to the castle, where the show would be displayed, and her eyes went wide as Tinkerbell flew over the castle. Alex watched with admiration as Tobin watched the show, smile on her face and eyes wide. Alex was busy staring when Tobin looked over at her and Alex’s heart skipped a beat as their eyes met. 

Alex could see the fireworks going off in Tobin’s honey brown eyes and she looked down as Tobin licked her chapped lips.  The forward swallowed her fears and leaned forward slightly as Tobin met her halfway and their lips crashed together in the middle.  Tobin’s hand found the back of Alex’s shirt and she gently slid it up the younger girl’s shirt.  Alex had a hand on Tobin’s chin and the two continued the kiss before they broke apart, their faces only centimeters apart.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited to do that.” Alex breathed before reconnecting their lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That’s it! Thanks for reading, guys! Your support and feedback has been amazing and I absolutely loved writing this fic. Let me know what you thought of it altogether!


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